Wire pin and hook drapery hanger



Feb. 13, 1951 w. T. GREE JR WIRE PIN AND HOOK DRAPERY HANGER Filed NOV. 15, 1948 7'0,0 margin of ham INVENTOR. W/LFORD TGREEMJx ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hangers used to assemble draperies on supports such as drapery rods or bars.

A drape of the kind referred to consists typically of a fabric sheet having along its top margin a folded and stitched hem, sometimes called the top trim.

The nature of the device embodying my invention is a piece of spring wire that has been formed by bending so as to provide a hanger having a new and useful drapery-supporting member that can be easily attached to the hem of the drape and provides an improved and more efiicient and reliable means for resisting the downward pulls and jerks that are often applied to such draperies and referred to herein as the load.

More specifically, my invention is concerned With a device of such type wherein the weight of the drapery and any downward pulls that may be applied to it in use shall be substained solely b a horizontal elongated supporting device that engages the top of the hem on the inside, and divides the load stresses equally between the front wall and the back wall of the hem.

The objects to be attained by my invention are: to provide a drapery-supporting member that shall cause the hem and drapery to hang downward straight and true from the extreme top edge of the hem to the bottom edge of the drape; and to render it unnecessary to sew crinoline linings into the hem for the purpose of keeping it in proper upright position;

To provide such a support that shall offer sufflciently elongated bearing surface to prevent harmful strains on the fabric by stretching or otherwise distorting it;

To provide a hanger with a drapery supporting member having a simplified and effective gauging means that maintains a uniform distance from the drapery rod up to the top margin of the hem. Thus the inner top margin of the hem is kept parallel with the rod;

To provide such an improved drapery supporting member that utilizes the top crease of the drapery hem as a device to prevent the drapery rod hook from getting permanently displaced from its proper position, when loaded with drapery;

To provide a steady-bearing for the middle of the hanger that shall prevent the hook from being sprung out of place when loaded.

Drapery hangers heretofore in use were not entirely satisfactory in the following respects:

Hangers of pin-and-hook type have been offered wherein gripping teeth or prongs were arranged on the pin of the hanger to pierce through the back Wall of the hem.

Other such hangers had oppositely directed pointed prongs called bills, upper and lower, both of which punctured the fabric of the back wall of the hem. The lower bill had to sustain the entire weight of its portion of the drapery, because the upper bill merely held the upper part of the trim in line and was not adapted to support any part of the drapery load. Therefore, the drapery fabric was not always strong and tough enough to prevent sagging, stretching, ripping, or failures caused by excessive localized stresses at the pin punctures in the back wall of the hem.

Inadequate bearing surface at the punctures often failed to withstand pulls and jerks such as draperies are subjected to in every-day use.

Such earlier hangers usually included an upright member that extended only part way from the drapery rod up toward the top margin of the hem. That upright member did not carry any weight of the drape. It was not adapted to keep the top fold of the hem from slipping downward or from sagging forward or backward. The front wallof the hem was not utilized for carrying loads or tensions. No satisfactory means was provided for supporting the whole drapery load at the top crease of the hem.

'Such devices were without adequate means for compelling the upper portions of the front and back hem walls to hang closely together, face-to-face, free from undesirable sags.

Such hangers presented no means for keeping uniform the distance from the top margin of the hem down to the main drapery rod and consequently could not attain a permanently even top line along "the top crease of the hem without crinoline or other reinforcement. Consequently both walls of the hem could not be kept equally stressed by the downward pull of the suspended drapery, and often the result was unsatisfactory.

Moreover, usefulness of such hangers was restricted because they did not have means whereby the pull on the fabric at the top crease could itself tend to correct any sidewise rotation of their hooks.

Therefore, the reasons why such earlier hangers have not been commercially satisfactory are:

Their devices for fastening the drapery hook to the back wall of the hem were such that the weight of the drapery carried by each hanger was not being utilized so as to automatically keep the upper portion of the front wall of the hem pulled taut and smooth, nor was the top edge of the hem kept, throughout its length, exactly at uniform height above the drapery rod.

Neither did the earlier types employ a runglike gauging member concealed between the walls of the hem, and straddled by them at the top of the hem space.

In general, the means whereby my new hanger corrects such prior deficiencies and operates more satisfactorily is:

I provide the top part of the hanger with a horizontal rung that resembles an arm rest of a crutch having two parallel upright members. Consequently, when the drapery hook is seated on the fixed drapery rod my new rung member maintains the top crease in the hem. The rung distributes the drapery load equally between the front wall and the back wall. The rung can be made to give any suitable length of uniform bearing surface on the fabric, avoiding any tendency to tear or strain the fabric at the puncture made therein.

The contribution that my invention has made to'the drapery hanging art is advantageous in that each hanger of a series on a drape always establishes the top crease or edge of the hem astride the rung at exactly uniform height from the drapery rod, thereby insuring a smooth horizontal top margin line for the assembled drapery throughout the length of the rung.

I have provided means for satisfactorily supporting the entire weight of the drapery, not by gripping or pin-puncturing the'back wall of the hem at some place intermediate its top and bottom limits, as was done in prior devices; but more advantageously by hanging the entire load from the top of the hem. Tensions in the hem fabric that are created by the weight of the drapery panel are distributed equally between the front and back walls and so the hems are always held smooth and straight. The extreme top margin of the hem is permanently kept exactly parallel with the drapery rod. Furthermore, no part of the load has to be carried by the fabric at a place where it has been punctured by insertion of a pin, as in the earlier hangers. I have done away with devices such as prongs or teeth that formerly gripped the fabric by extending through the material of the drapery. I also have eliminated the employment of any parts in the hanger, such as clamps, that grip the fabric frictionally, in order to hold up the load. My device carries the entire drapery, simply as a dead weight resting astride of the rungs at the upper end of the hangers. The heavier the drapery, the more securely it is held by the rungs.

Also, the main hook is kept from swaying or rocking or turning from side to side in use, permitting all the hooks in a drape to be slid easily along the bar when opening or closing the drape. The herein described hanger can be attached to drapery as quickly as the simplest of the earlier pin-type hangers, yet it has greater ruggedness and permanence than hangers of the more expensive sew-on types.

In the accompanying drawings that illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a front view of the hanger in upright position, showing the pin member fastened;

Fig. 2 is a side view, seen in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, with the pin unfastened; the walls of the hem being indicated in cross-section, and partly broken away; 1

Fig. 3 is a front view of the hanger, pinned to the back wall of' the top hem of a drapery,

showing the location of the hem relatively to a fixed drapery rod, and showing by dotted lines the drapery supporting rung member applied against the inner top margin of the hem to support the weight of the depending drapery;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the hanger secured to the back wall of the hem, before the frame of the drapery supporting member has been manipulated into the space between the walls of the hem;

Figs. '5, 6, 7, 8 show in succession the manipulations for bringing the crutch-like drapery support into its final load-sustaining position against the inner top margin of the hem.

My improved hanger is constructed as in Figs. 1 and 2, showing a length of wire bent so as to provide a member I, which I call a stanchion because it serves as a post or standard to carry the drapery load and transmit it through a hook attachable to a conventional drapery rod or other fixed supporting member.

Alongside the stanchion l is a pin 2, upright and parallel with the stanchion and pointed downwardly.

Numeral 3 designates, in general, a crutchlike drapery supporter, member or frame, illustrated here as triangular in shape and having an elongated horizontal rung 4 connecting the upper terminal portion 5 of the stanchion with the upper part 6 of the pin.

The stanchion I, pin 2, and frame 3, together with hook Ii, present, as has been explained above, an important feature of my improvement. Pin 2 is similar in construction and use to pins of earlier devices. It is adapted to be inserted in the fabric of the hem, usually inwardly through the back wall at an upper puncture, I, and then downwardly, coming out through a lower puncture, 1a, Figs. 2 and 3. The hanger is thus free to be slid upwardly and downwardly, guided by punctures 1 and la and pin 2 in the manner shown in Figs. 4 to 8. v

At the bottom of the stanchion is formed a loop or pin guard on which is provided a suitable catch 8 for engaging the point of the pin, Figs. 1, 3, 4. Extending from catch 8 upwardly along the stanchion a hook-carrying member 9 may be provided that engages the stanchion at Ill. Beyond bearing I0 is a conventional drapery-supporting hook II. The hook II is assembled on the drapery rod as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Hook l I projects outwardly from the stanchion in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the crutch-like load-supporting member, such as frame 3.

In Fig. 1 the vertical distance Y from the top of the drapery rod to the top of rung 4 on frame 3 is the gauge or uniform distance device by which the top hem is kept even and parallel with the drapery rod.

Pin 2 has spring action, as in a safety pin. When not fastened by catch 8'it is in the position shown in Fig. 2. Rung 4 may be straight, but preferably is somewhat lower in the center as is shown in Fig. 1, to give firmer support to the fold or crease of the drapery fabric along the inner top margin of the hem. The frame 3 with its rung 4 is constrained by the fabric at the crease to keep the plane of hook I l perpendicular to the plane of the front and back walls of the hem.

The hanger is easily and quickly pinned, in conventional manner, to the back wall of the drapery hem, as shown in Fig. 4. As previously alluded to herein, the point of pin 2 is pushed through the upper part of the back wall at any suitable place as puncture I, and thence downward within the hem space and out through the lower fabric puncture la. The pin point, which thus far has been open and sprung away from stanchion l, as shown in Fig. 2, can then be closed against catch 8 on the face of the loop at the bottom of the hanger. In its closed position, Fig. 4, the pin 2 is guarded by the loop so it cannot prick the fingers of the user.

The next step is to transfer the frame 3 and its elongated horizontal rung 4 and the upper parts of stanchion l and pin 2 into the space inside the hem and then to shove the rung u into uniform drapery-load-supporting engagement throughout its length with the inner top margin or crease of the hem; that being its final concealed position for use, as illustrated in Figs. .3 and 8.

To make such transfer the crutch-like draperysupporting member, such as frame 3 is first drawn downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 4 until the upper terminal part or branch 6 of pin 2 enters the space between the hem walls, in the manner indicated by dotted lines in Fig. '5. Frame 3 is then moved through puncture i toward the right and passes lengthwise into the position shown in Fig. 6. Frame 3 is then moved upward through puncture 1 into the concealed position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7. Then the hanger as a unit is pushed bodily upward, with stanchion I, going up through puncture I, and pin 2, up

through puncture la, until the drapery load is seated and adjusts itself astride the rung 4, and the inner top crease or folded edge of the drapery hem distributes its entire load uniformly over the whole length of the rung. This final or loaded position is shown in Fig. 8 and also at the top of side view, Fig. 2.

The upward sliding movement of the frame 3 may be halted by the very top of the fold, as in Fig. 2, or at any line of stitching, such as is sometimes provided below the top margin as indicated at .r-rc, Fig. 7.

Hook H when placed over the drapery rod as illustrated in Figs. 2' and 3 will, by reason of its curvature at l6, bear against the stanchion I. This arrangement may be employed where it is desired to utilize the wire at I ll as a steady-bearing to prevent the hook from springing out of place when in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A drapery hanger made of a length of wire and comprising a stanchion; a pin alongside said stanchion; a crutch-like drapery-supporting frame consisting of a rung connecting upper terminal portions of said stanchion and pin; said frame being adapted to be guided manually through a puncture produced by said pin in the drapery fabric and manipulated into the space between the back wall and front wall of a drapery hem and up against the inner topmargin of the hem; said stanchion having at its lower part a catch for guarding the point of the pin; a member extending upwardly from said catch and providing a steady-bearing and a hook for engaging a drapery rod; said hook being situated intermediate the length of the stanchion and pro ecting outwardly therefrom in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said drapery-supporting frame; that part of said stanchion between the drapery rod and the rung constituting a gauging device maintaining the top margin of the hem parallel with the rod.

2. A drapery hanger made of a length of wire and comprising a stanchion; a pin alongside said stanchion; a crutch-like drapery-supporting frame consisting of a rung connecting upper terminal portions of said stanchion and pin; said frame being arranged and adapted to be guided manually through a puncture produced by said pin in the drapery fabric and manipulated into the space between the back wall and front wall of a drapery hem; and up against the inner top margin of the hem; said stanchion having at its lower part a catch for guarding the point of the pin; a member extending upwardly from said catch and providing a steady-bearing and a hook :for engaging a drapery rod; said hook b ing situated intermediate the length of the stanchion and pro ecting outwardly therefrom in a plane perpendicular tothe plane of said drapery-supporting frame.

3. In a pin-type drapery hanger formed of a length of spring wire, a load-supporting device com rising, in combination, a drapery-supporting hook; a steady-bearing at the top of the hook, a member extending downwardly from steady-bearing to a point below the hook; a load-supporting stanchion extended upwardly from the bottom end portion of said downwardly extending member and enga ed against said steady-bearing; said stanchion terminating at its top end in a horizontal elongated rung substantially straight throughout its length; and a drapery pin extending downward from anend of sad rung remote from said stanchion.

4. A. drapery hanger made of a length of resi1ient wire having one pointed end and having a portion of said wire bent into a hook for engagement with a drapery rod; said hanger comprising elements including a portion below said hook formed to provide at its bottom end a pin-guard and catch; a stanchion portion extended upwardly above said hook and continuing as a drapery-supporting frame; said frame comprising an elongated top rung, horizontal, substantially straight, and arranged and adapted to engage and support uniformly throughout its length the top inner margin portion of the hem of a drape seated astride of said rung; and a pin member bent downwardly from the end of said rung remote from the stanchion and continuing to said catch; said pin member spaced alongside of said stanchion and in the same plane with the stanchion,.the frame, and the catch.

5. A drapery hanger made of a length of resilient wire having one pointed end and bent intermediate its length into a hook for engaging a drapery rod and comprising elements including a portion of said wire extended below said hook and formed at its lower end into a in guard and catch member; a stanchion portion extended upward from said hook and having a top rung portion substantially straight and parallel with said drapery rod: said rung arranged and adapted to sustain uniformly throughout its length drapery loads imposed thereon by the inner top crease or marginal portion of a drapery hem astride the rung; and a resilient pin member extended from an end of said rung downwardly to said catch alongside of and parallel with said stanchion and disposed in the same plane with said rung.

6. In a drapery hanger made of a length of resilient wire having one pointed end and bent intermediate its length into a hook for engaging a drapery-rod; an extension member directed downwardly from said hook and having at its lower end a retaining catch for engaging said pointed end; a stanchion directed upwardly from said hook and having at its top a drapery-supporting frame of triangular shape and comprising a top rung substantially straight throughout its length; and a resilient pin extending as a continuation at one end of said rung downwardly to said catch.

'7. A drapery hanger made of length of resilient wire having one pointed end and bent intermediate its length into a hook for engaging a drapery rod and comprising elements including a portion of said wire extended below said hook and formed at its lower end into a pin guard and catch member; a stanchion portion directed upwardly from said hook and having integral therewith an elongated top rung portion substantially straight and parallel with said drapery rod; said rung arranged and adapted to sustain as a uniformly distributed load throughout its length the entire downward pull of a drape imposed by a hem thereof astride the rung; and a resilient pin member spaced alongside of said stanchion and extended downward from said rung to said catch in the same plane with said rung and catch.

8. A drapery hanger made of a length of resilient Wire bent intermediate its length into a hook for engaging a drapery rod and comprising elements including a portion of said wire extended below said hook and formed at its lower end into a pin guard and catch member; a stanchion portion directed upwardly from said hook and having at its upper end, and integral therewith, an elongated single Wire top rung portion substantially straight throughout its length and parallel with said drapery rod, said rung arranged and adapted to sustain as a uniformly distributed load the entire downward pull imposed by the hem of a drape seated astride the rung.

9. A drapery hanger made of a length of resilient wire having one pointed end, and bent into a hook for engaging a drapery rod; and comprising elements including a portion of said wire extended below said hook and formedv at its lower end into a pin guard and catch member; a stanchion portion extended above said hook, its upper part bent to provide an elongated horizontal substantially straight top rung parallel with said drapery rod and providing a drapery support member of uniform size throughout its length; and a resilient pin pointed member extended as a continuation of an end portion of said rung alongside of said stanchion downwardly to said catch.

10. A drapery hanger made of a length of resilient wire sharpened at one end and bent to provide a hook for engaging a drapery rod; said hanger comprising cooperative elements including a portion of said wire extended below said hook and having its bottom end formed to provide a pin engagement catch; an upright stanchion portion extended above said rod-engaging hook and having its upper part bent to provide a drapery-supporting top rung substantially straight and horizontal throughout its length and parallel with said drapery rod; and a resilient pin member extended as a continuation of said rung downward alongside of said stanchion to said catch; the part of said wire that comprises the pin, rung and stanchion elements being sufficiently smooth to allow said elements to be moved freely in regular order through puncture made by passing the pin through the upper part of a drapery hem wall to establish a guide means for said rung and upper parts of the pin and stanchion during their transfer movements into the interior of the hem and also during placement of the rung into final drape support engagement at the inner top margin of said hem.

WILFORD T. GREEN, J R.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Blome Feb. 11, 1930 Number 

